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PRINCIPLES AND TERMINOLOGY OF BUFFING
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "POLISHING" AND "BUFFING"
"Polishing" – Polishing a piece of metal removes a moderate
amount of material from the surface, using coarse to medium
abrasives in stages. The work piece will have a dull "brushed" look
and no reflection will be visible in it. Polishing removes scratches
and minor surface imperfections which are too deep for buffing
compounds to remove efficiently. If you run your fingernail over a
scratch and it catches, then the piece should be polished before
buffing. The key to success in polishing is to remove just enough
material to make the surface even and no more.
"Buffing" – Buffing Removes very small surface irregularities and
makes the surface almost perfectly smooth by removing a very
small amount of metal. Just like polishing, buffing is done in stages
from coarse to fine. Buffing compound grits are so fine that you
might not be able to tell the difference between compounds by rub-
bing some between your fingers. Their difference in performance,
however, is significant.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "CUTTING" AND "COLORING"
"Cutting" compounds are coarse and will remove a fair amount of material quickly. The first stages
of buffing could be referred to as the "cutting" stages.
"Coloring" compounds are extremely fine and result in the mirror-like shine which is the result of an
excellently done buffing project. The final stage of buffing could be referred to as the "coloring" stage.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT!
One of the most important facts about Buffing is that it is an acquired skill that takes a lot of practice
and patience to become proficient at and is repeated throughout this guide. Also, always practice on
a similar scrap piece before attempting to work on a valuable part and risk ruining it.
It is best to stop to clean off and inspect the piece frequently checking progress, then repeating the
steps as often as necessary to achieve the desired results.
LEVELING AND POLISHING (SMOOTHING) A METAL SURFACE
• All workpieces should be thoroughly inspected before beginning to determine if any prep work
needs to be taken.
• All corrosion, dents, high spots and deep scratches will need to be removed before polishing
or buffing.
• The following section on Preparing Pieces explains in detail how to remove these and other
imperfections in preparation for buffing.
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Eastwood Technical Assistance: 800.343.9353 >> tech@eastwood.com
Surface before buffing
Surface after buffing
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